Press

3 Questions that will set your work apart from the competition

3 October, 2016

It’s time to create something new. Your projects or presentations have been the same for the past few months. Your audience can already predict where you’re going, you’re bored or your supervisors are asking for something else…

But how can you display yourself in a new light? How can you set yourself apart?

You know your audience well, you’ve researched them constantly, you’ve surveyed them enough to know what they’ll listen to. So when you’ve analysed all of your previous facts… where do you find new material?

Interviews, observation and surveys can only get you so far; now it’s time for you to combine these details into an original, new analysis. So before you start thinking “what did my professor say about market segments in business school all those years ago,” save yourself some time and start answering these questions instead:

What other information can you assume?

Once you’ve determined your market segment, and your research is narrowed down into specifics, you should begin asking yourself:

For example, if your market is primarily found in a specific community, then what can you deduce about their neighbourhood? Are they mostly new parents, elderly, or young 20-somethings? Then, where do they spend their weekends in the community? What is their budget like?

It’s important to answer this question every opportunity you get- it will put your work ahead of the competition and above all, create a more personal relationship with your audience.

Why are they here?

In content marketing, the “why” should not be an easily answered question. “Why” answers should have multiple bullet points below them. Your hard research and facts will point out concrete evidence about your audience (their gender, age, ethnicity, etc.), but it’s up to you to determine:

For example, (in relation to the example about neighbourhoods above): “Why is this neighbourhood clicking on your page? Why did they turn up to your performance?”

What are they not saying in their surveys? Do you provide something others don’t? If so, determine these qualities and highlight them. Strengthen your brand identity!

What if you…?

If you’ve creatively answered the two above questions, you should feel fairly confident about knowing your audience. Now start asking yourself:

Continued example: what if you altered your product to fit the needs of this neighbourhood? What if you provided discounts to local stores that neighbourhood enjoys to get them to more of your events?

If you know your product as well as your audience, it’s your job to prove how it’s different from the competition. By simply asking “what if,” you will make your product less boring and far more unique. This question is where you truly stand out- where your display should be most creative and provide different answers.

Remember

No two segments will be the same. Answers for segment A will be different to segment B and segment C. Question 3 will help you filter which segments are more profitable than others.

Hillary is a graphic designer with inherent creativity resulting from years of experience in fine art. She attended Indiana University and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design minoring in Marketing from the Kelley School of Business. While at University, Hillary’s professors instilled a basic understanding of her profession that she still believes today: “Graphic design is about finding solutions.” Following her internship at Advanced Turf Solutions in Indianapolis, Indiana, Hillary migrated to Australia and began working at contentgroup in August 2016.